"We're nearly to Drecenia," Ben announced as he stood over the pilot's controls.

"Good," Rey said, stretched out casually across her chair. "I think I would lose my mind if I had to stay in here any longer."

For four long days they had been travelling through empty space, little conversation passing between them as Ben kept a vigilant watch over his security scanners. Rey noticed that he seemed to have grown more testy, no longer as open to teasing, and certainly not open to any questioning. Rey often chose her words carefully, not wanting to trigger the full force of his temper, whatever that would entail.

Though she felt more at ease around Ben now, no longer as intimidated by his sizable presence, Rey still felt a tension between them, assuming it was the connection of their Force bond. She felt a rising electricity deep down to her core, and her heart beat harder in her chest whenever she merely looked at Ben.

Rey couldn't help but wonder why the Force drew her to him physically; she experienced emotions and drives that she felt to be confusing.

She repeatedly reflected on when Ben's arms had wrapped around her when she'd been flooded with his memories, as well as when he'd carried her through the fuel station. She had a strange yearning to feel his arms around her once again, but she tried to repress these impulses.

She studied him as he analyzed the ship's controls, as she'd now done many times before. Her eyes traced over Ben's lanky, masculine figure, the soft tendrils of his thick black hair.

Rey let her own hair down more often now. Out of boredom, she tried new hairstyles for herself, faced with nothing else to do in the dark, empty ship. She'd experimented with ponytails, buns, braids. She felt disappointed that Ben never commented on the obvious changes in her hair.

Rey now leaned her head back in her chair, kicking her feet as they hung over the edge of the armrest. She felt uncomfortable with the long spans of silence that took place between her and Ben.

"Don't you ever get lonely, flying alone in this dark thing?" Rey asked, wondering how he would react to the question.

Ben seemed to stop with whatever he was typing onto a screen, turning his head slightly. "Lonely?"

"Yes."

He turned his face further to meet her eyes, and Rey regretted the question as his expression soured. "Shouldn't I be asking you, Scavenger?" He snapped. "You're the one who was abandoned on a barren rock."

Rey frowned, momentarily hurt, but he had a point. Ben dropped his eyes, turning his face back to the controls.

They remained silent for about a half hour after this brief exchange before Rey saw a growing grey dot on the horizon through the view of the ship's window. She stood up from her chair, walking up to the control board but keeping her space from Ben. She somehow sensed that he wanted to maintain distance between them.

The small grey planet of Drecenia grew near, and Rey realized that its coloring was the mark of ice and snow. She looked down at her thin tan clothing, wondering how cold the surface of the planet would actually be.

Upon reaching the planet, Ben silently descended the ship down through the thick atmosphere. Minutes later, they broke through the cloud layer as their ship descended along with the falling snow.

Rey scowled, seeing no lights or signs of civilization. "Isn't this planet inhabited by anyone?" Rey asked, scanning the white horizon.

"Not by anything sentient," Ben said.

Rey turned her face to look at him. "What lives here, then?"

"Nothing you'd want to encounter," he said cryptically, meeting her eyes for a moment.

Rey turned her face from his, disappointed at his continued reluctance to answer her questions. He must get some sort of backwards enjoyment out of it, she thought.

As the shuttle sped along the white snow below, Rey saw small structures forming on the horizon, set in front of the white-splotched green of a snowy forest. Ben steered them toward the small encampment.

"You said nothing sentient lived here?" Rey asked confusedly.

"They don't any longer," Ben said as he slowly began landing the ship near the encampment. He descended the shuttle near one of the small, low concrete buildings. "This was once used as a training base for snowtroopers of the First Order," he continued, "but after some...accidents, they abandoned the place. They aren't coming back."

"Accidents?" Rey asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ben shut off the ship's engine controls as the shuttle settled down into the snow. He then turned to face her. "The creatures that live here aren't exactly welcoming."

Rey wondered what they could be. The only animals she'd ever seen were the beasts of burden on Jakku and the small pets of the people on Trora and other planets. "What are they?" She asked.

"You'll know them when you see them," Ben said darkly, heading out of the room. Rey followed him to the back storage chamber, where he was pulling on his dark cloak and scarf. Rey stepped around him to grab her own, wrapping the scarf twice around her neck and mouth in preparation for the cold outside. Ben looked down at her briefly and silently slid past her, out of the room. He moved towards the ship's side exit.

Ben waited for Rey by the ship's side door before opening it. When the door hitched open, a blast of wintry wind surged into the ship, carrying in a gust of white snowflakes. Rey blinked hard at the cold, wrapping her arms around her sides as she followed Ben out into the frozen air.

She followed closely behind Ben as he stalked through the thick snow, his boots crunching with each heavy step. Rey shivered, her teeth chattering against the cloth of the scarf. She blinked in quick succession as snowflakes landed in her eyelashes, making it difficult to focus on the several small, grey buildings ahead.

Ben led her to the dwelling at the center of the circle of structures, using the Force to slide open the heavy metal door. He waited for her to pass through, then followed in behind her as he shut the door.

It was warmer here inside the house-like structure, but not by entry hall to the dwelling led into a small open sitting area with a large stone hearth before it. A small kitchen area lay beyond the sitting area, as well as another hallway leading to several doors, which Rey presumed to sleeping rooms. Rey's heart sunk as she noticed there was no wood in the fireplace.

"We need wood to start the fire," Rey said, pulling her scarf down from her face.

Ben nodded, but didn't remove his scarf. His eyes lingered on the room around them, as if reminiscing. Rey narrowed her eyes.

"Have you been here before?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ben seemed to snap out of his daze as his eyes flickered to hers. He nodded.

"How long ago?"

He pulled his scarf down under his chin when he responded. "Many years ago."

"Why were you here? I thought you said this was for stormtroopers," Rey said, leaning against a chair behind her.

"Snowtroopers," he corrected her, and Rey frowned. She looked up at him expectantly. "I trained here once, too," he said, glancing out the small window to their side.

"Can I see?" Rey asked, tiling her head slightly. She began pressing into his mind, as always it was walled.

"No," Ben said quickly, lowering his brows.

Rey stood up, frowning at him again. "Why are you always so closed off?" She asked suddenly, stepping towards him.

He frowned, grinding his jaw as he looked to the ground for a moment. He then looked back up at her. "Wood for the fire," he said, obviously attempting to change the subject as he turned back towards the entryway.

Rey reluctantly followed him back out into the snow. They headed through the tall line of trees behind the small encampment.

Once inside the thin forest, Ben whipped out his lightsaber and ignited it, stalking towards a tall tree about twice the width of himself. Rey watched as his lightsaber crackled and sliced through the thick wood in a single broad swipe, the tree slowly toppling over to the side. As it crashed down into the snow with a loud thud, flurries of white snow spiraled up into the air.

Shivering from the cold, Rey moved up to the fallen trunk and pulled out her own saber, igniting it. She slashed at the trunk several times, but her strokes did not cut all the way through the wood as his had.

She paused as Ben moved towards the trunk across from her. He lowered his scarf from his mouth, revealing his cheeks flushed pink from the cold. He extended his red lightsaber over the trunk, parallel to the ground. He glanced across at Rey.

"Like this," he said, lifting his lightsaber before slamming it down powerfully, cutting cleanly down through the log. The wood smoked and crackled from the heat of the lightsaber, the edges of the severed wood glowing red.

Ben took a step backwards, looking expectantly at Rey, who positioned her own lightsaber over the trunk as he had. She lifted it and brought it straight down in a single, strong movement, cutting down through the wood. She was able to sever it completely, although not with as much ease as Ben. Rey let out a visible white breath as the wood again sizzled and glowed from the heat of the lightsaber.

She looked across at Ben, whose eyebrows raised ever so slightly. Rey took this as his approval, and she shivered as she watched his boots crunch forward through the snow. Using the Force, he rolled the now severed chunk of log towards him, returning the scarf back over his nose and mouth. He leaned over the chunk of log and began diligently chopping it into smaller, even sections with his lightsaber.

Rey felt chilled to the cone, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. She alternated bending her knees, trying to keep her body moving to stay warm. As she watched Ben, an idea suddenly developed in her mind.

Rey stepped up onto the large fallen trunk before her, extending the point of her lightsaber out towards Ben, who was leaned over his work. He looked up as he stopped slicing through the wood, staring up at her with lowered brows. He slowly straightened himself as he stared up at her. Rey could not decipher his expression since the scarf covered most of his face, but his dark eyes seemed to stir.

Ben stepped forward, lifting his crackling lightsaber to hers. The lightsabers hissed as they met, sending small sparks of red and blue flying off from them. He slid his saber along hers in a slow, smooth motion, a perverse toying. After a few moments Ben pulled his lightsaber away, his eyes still locked onto Rey's.

He suddenly swung his lightsaber at her, forcing Rey to leap backwards off of the log. Ben took her former place atop the fallen trunk, pointing his saber down at Rey, mimicking the stance she'd taken just moments before. Rey swung her saber up him, hoping to force him off, but Ben parried her swing, leaping down from the trunk.

He took several strong, controlled swipes at her, and Rey was quick to meet his every attack. She groaned as he made hit after hit at her, forcing her to back up with the power at which his saber struck hers.

Ben paused, holding his saber to his side. Rey took this as an opportunity to catch her breath, and she lowered her own saber, breathing quickly. She watched Ben as he stood across from her. He in turn watched her fixedly.

After a few moments Ben abruptly stepped forward, swinging his crackling lightsaber quickly over his head before bringing it down fiercely, clashing it into her lightsaber. Rey's saber was nearly knocked out of her grasp, but she was quick to widen her stance, bending her knees to absorb the shock of the hit. Ben's saber slid off of hers, and he took several quick sideways swings at her.

Rey met his every attack, but she knew he was going easy on her. His movements seemed more playful than aggressive. She wanted to see him in full action, now that he seemed to have become much more adept at dueling.

Ducking under one of his swings, she jabbed at him several times, causing him to quickly move backwards. He grunted, his eyebrows shadowing his dark eyes as he swung at her with increasing speed and force.

Losing energy, Rey began struggling to match his moves, his quick footwork. His attacks were becoming more brutal.

She groaned as Ben at last knocked her lightsaber out of her hands with his own, sending it flying a few feet away.

Rey moved forward to go and grab it, but Ben quickly blocked her path, pointing his saber out at her. He made savage jabbing motions with it, forcing her to stumble backwards. She looked up at him in confusion, and his dark eyes focused upon hers.

She tripped backwards over a tree root sticking out of the snow and nearly fell backwards, but she quickly held her palms out to her sides to balance herself with the Force.

"That's better," Rey heard Ben's deep muffled voice through his scarf. He lowered his saber, stepping to the side. Rey straightened herself, now able to see the shiny hilt of her lightsaber lying in the snow a ways away. She glanced at Ben, who still stood watching her, and she outstretched her hand, using the Force to bring the saber flying back into her grasp. She ignited the blue plasma of her saber, adjusting her grip and holding it perpendicular to the ground in front of her, prepared for another attack.

Ben began to pace slowly around her, circling her in a predatory manner. Yet he remained seemingly calm, his ignited saber dangling at his side. "If you do not use the Force with your movements, you are not taking full advantage of your abilities," he said, stopping before her. He held his lightsaber out in front of him. "The Force will strengthen your fighting."

He stepped forward, watching her, apparently waiting for her to make a move. Rey closed her eyes momentarily, taking in a deep breath as she willed the power of the Force within her, just as she had during her and Ben's first duel on Starkiller Base.

When she opened her eyes, she felt the electricity of the Force within her, adrenaline pulsing through her. She smacked hard at Ben's lightsaber, clashing against it with smooth, strong hits. Ben met her hits with ease, and Rey gritted her teeth as she began fueling her attacks with as much energy as she could, matching Ben's quick footwork. Ben's red lightsaber hissed in protest each time Rey clashed her saber against it, bright sparks shedding off into the air around them.

Ben skillfully traded his saber from one hand to the other as he parried her hits, his boots crunching heavily in the snow. At one point their sabers locked together, and Rey strained to use the Force to strengthen herself, keeping her saber pushing against his. She met Ben's eyes, his face strained in concentration, but there was an avidity in his eyes.

Suddenly a shrill, animalistic screech sounded off in the distance, causing the hairs on the back of Rey's neck to stand. Ben abruptly stepped back, sliding his lightsaber from hers. He turned around to face in the direction that the sound had come from. He then flipped his head back to look at Rey.

"That is our cue to leave," he said, moving back through the snow as he unengaged his lightsaber. Rey followed closely behind him back through the trees to the pile of chopped wood. She continually turned to look behind her, afraid that whatever had made the horrible sound would be stalking after them.

Reattaching their lightsabers at their hip, Ben and Rey scooped up the chopped wood, moving swiftly out of the line of trees and back towards their temporary establishment.

….

Ben sat up abruptly in his bed, blinking into the pitch darkness ahead. He felt a calling through the Force, and he sensed urgently for Rey. He felt relieved as he sensed her calm presence near, in the bedroom across from him. She's still asleep.

Anxiety began to pulse through him, however, as Ben realized the source of the familiar summons.

He pulled himself out of bed and put on his cloak and scarf, attaching his lightsaber at his belt. He moved swiftly but silently into the central area of the abode, leaning down to pull on his boots.

He was about to head out through the front door of the house, but he froze, looking behind him in the direction of the bedroom hallway, hesitating. Ben then forced himself outside into the dark, frozen air.

He trudged through the thick snow toward his ship ahead, the icy wind biting his face. As he made it into the command shuttle, he turned on the controls, extending the ship's wings to their full length as the engine began to heat up. After a few minutes he shifted the ascension engines on, and the ship rose from the icy ground beneath.

….

Rey sat up abruptly, sensing something amiss. She hopped out of bed, staring ahead into the dark. She was startled as she didn't feel Ben's presence. She strained to listen at a distant, fading rumbling outside.

Rey ran out of her room, using the Force to fling open the front door to the dwelling. She stopped right outside as she looked up into the dark sky, seeing Kylo's black shuttle high in the air, rising towards the atmosphere.

"No!" Rey yelled up at the ship. "No!" She stumbled forward clumsily in the shock of the moment, so like her distant memory of when she had first been abandoned as a child on Jakku, watching the ship as it left her behind.

Rey fell forward onto her knees in the freezing snow, but she felt numb to the cold, to the world.

Is Ben abandoning Rey? Thanks for reading and commenting! And as always, thank you for your patience. I'll be able to post chapters more often now, so stay tuned.